may need root canal

Had Pace maker inserted in august 2011 . Is there any dnager in dentist high speed drill and I may need root canal done by a specialist. Any danger in type of drill they use?

5 Comments

check with you heart dr.

by AHONEYBUNNY - 2012-12-18 06:12:20

just double check with your heart dr. and let the staff know at the dentist that u have a pm.

Root Canal

by donr - 2012-12-18 09:12:10

Root canals are NOT all they are reported to be. If the tooth is sound, otherwise & not infected and/or inflamed, it's a piece of cake! No worse than any other tooth filling of major magnitude.

Go on line, PLEASE & look up root canals - there is a full length video of one being done. Really nothing to it.

Normal anesthesia - local; normal drills - AIR DRIVEN; no other electrical devices used if it is a normal tooth. This is NOT a crown prep that might require use of electrocautery around the gum line, so don't worry about that. BE SURE to bring these issues up w/ the dentist before he starts, just to ease your mind. If he/she is any good, he will totally allay your fears/concerns.

All he does is drill a commodious hole down into the root area of the tooth, following the line of the nerve that is. or should be, dead already. He then takes some long, cylindrical files & BY HAND routs out any other tissue not needed down in there. He uses a special filling & sealing material to do the bottom, root area & finishes off w/ regular filling material. If this is prep for a crown, that part is left for the crown dentist to do.

Specifically - same drill, air turbine, high speed. Different bits, however - after all, he has to get down into the root area of the tooth. Normal drilling is all right at the surface.

If he is any good, when it's over you will wonder why you got anxious! I know I did!

Don

My Dentist had me check with

by Grateful Heart - 2012-12-18 09:12:46

Boston Scientific to see about using the Cavitron cleaner in the office. BS (that still makes me laugh) said it's not a problem, just don't let the cord lay across your chest.

Also had me ask about antibiotics for pre-treatments. In my case, no problem, but always ask your doctor about that one. Like Tracey said, depends on your condition.

Dental Health

by Tattoo Man - 2012-12-18 10:12:42


Dental health and cardiac health are closely connected . Dental infections can affect heart valves badly and sometimes permanently. Please PMC People..do not put off going to the Dentist. I met a guy in hospital so toxic that they had to wait ages for him to get to the point where his operation was possible.

Check if you might need antibiotic 'Cover' before the work is done

As don says it will be OK.

Tattoo Man

it's fine

by Tracey_E - 2012-12-18 11:12:55

Some heart conditions- simply having a pm is NOT one of them- require pre-treating with antibiotics before any dental treatment.

Let them know you have it but there's nothing they need to do differently for us.

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

Member Quotes

In fact after the final "tweaks" of my pacemaker programming at the one year check up it is working so well that I forget I have it.